Michael Zegen


Michael Jonathan Zegen is an American actor, best known for his role as Joel Maisel on The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel. He also played probie firefighter Damien Keefe on the FX Network television drama Rescue Me.

Early life and education

Zegen was born to a teacher mother and a lawyer father, and lived in Glen Rock, New Jersey, before moving to nearby Ridgewood when he was five. He has two brothers. He is Jewish. His mother was born in Austria, in a displaced persons camp, and his maternal grandparents were Holocaust survivors from Ukraine and Poland.
He attended Ridgewood High School, where he was active in the school's theater program. Zegen is a 2001 graduate of Skidmore College.

Career

His role on Rescue Me began as a recurring character in seasons 1–3, playing the nephew of series lead Tommy Gavin. In seasons 5–6, he was promoted to the main cast when his character began probationary firefighter school to become a firefighter.
In late 2010, Zegen was cast as gangster Bugsy Siegel for the second, third, and fifth season of the HBO series, Boardwalk Empire. In 2011, Zegen, along with James Ransone, was cast in supporting roles in the HBO comedy series How To Make It In America. In mid-2011, Zegen was cast in a recurring guest role in the second season of the AMC series The Walking Dead. In 2014 he created the role of Liam off-Broadway in the dark comedy Bad Jews.
In 2017, Zegen was cast in the lead role of Joel Maisel on The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel. For the role he has won two Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series awards from the Screen Actors Guild.

Filmography

YearTitleRoleNotes
2004'Partygoer1 episode
2004–2011Rescue MeDamien Keefe42 episodes
2006Love MonkeyLuther1 episode
2009MercyJason Keener1 episode
2011How to Make It in AmericaAndy Sussman4 episodes
2011–2014Boardwalk EmpireBen Siegel11 episodes
2012'Randall Culver4 episodes
2014GirlsJoe3 episodes
2016BrainDeadBen Valderrama1 episode
2017–presentThe Marvelous Mrs. MaiselJoel Maisel18 episodes